singlelogbridge | Inbox: Ximilia

Mnnuf? [Is the intelligible sound that comes from the lump stull buried under a blanket on the bed. Wei Wuxian pulls back the cover and blinks up at Gwen through bleary eyes, gaze flickering to the stack of...books that she's just dropped beside him.]

I...what...[His brain is still waking up, give him a minute. He sits up properly and yawns, rubbing his eyes and tugging his disheveled hair behind him. It's not so early he's exhausted but it still takes him a minute to orient himself.]

You brought books.

〈 gwen picks up one. 〉

I brought, 〈 she clarifies, 〉Books.

〈 the cover of the book she shows him displays a starry night sky overlooking a radio telescope. in capitalized white letters, it reads, "foundations of astronomy." 〉

[His eyes widen as the device translates the words for him, and he reaches for the book looking suddenly very awake. Without bothering to even pull back the covers, he begins flipping through the pages, eyes growing wider and wider as he goes. His lips mouth the words as he reads and excitement and awe slip across his features. After flipping through the book for a while, he drags his attention away from them and turns that starry eyed gaze on Gwen.]

I can read these? I mean I can—I can hold onto them for a while? Are they all like this? Where did you get these?

They're my old school books. 〈 hers and peter's, actually. gwen isn't sure whether to thank viveca or punch her. 〉

So, they're yours as long as you want them.

〈 she pushes the ones that are hers closer wei wuxian. spotting the chemistry book, she taps its cover. 〉

Maybe start with this one so you know what you can and can't put in your mouth.

〈 nothing. the answer to what he can put in his mouth inside a lab is nothing. 〉

[The casual drag doesn't even faze him, his face immediately breaking open into a bright grin.]

You are my absolute favorite person. [He sets the astronomy book down and reaches for the chemistry book, flipping through it the same way he had the other. He doesn't look at this one quite as long, going back to the astronomy one after a while.]

I want to learn about everything Gwen. There's so much to understand. [He holds the astronomy book close and turns that grin on her again.] It's going to be much easier now that I have a starting place. Thank you.

〈 gwen warms with pleasure. cheeks pink, she ducks her head. 〉

Well. From one nerd to another, you're very welcome. 〈 incapable of dealing with her own emotions, gwen #jokes. 〉

Hey, you don't mind if I share these ones with Itachi? I figure, once you're each done with your respective books, you can swap.

〈 turns out, itachi will actually give them back in an hour. 〉

[The grin immediately morphs into an overdramatic pout, his eyes sparkling with mischief.]

You're making me share? [He flops back onto the bed, book held protectively in his arms.]

Ugh fine I guess. he do you think he'll study with me? [Pause.] I'm going to make him study with me. Do you want to study with me?

〈 gwen makes a face. 〉

Taking classes once was enough.

〈 and yet, this is not, in fact, a no. 〉

That's not a no. [He mirrors her thoughts.]

What kind of student were you, Gwen? I bet you would have had fun sneaking out with me and Huaisang during our studies. I'm a terrible student you know. Brilliant though. [He grins.]

Oh, he mentioned you're a terrible student.

〈 as well as wei wuxian's brother and sister, the latter of whom had been here. hindsight being 20/20, gwen suspects she knows why wei wuxian took her up on her invitation to room with her so quickly. 〉

Better than him! [He shouts and immediately laughs.]

He snuck a bird into class, Gwen! And he paid me to do his homework. We both got in trouble when he got caught. My—[My brother was furious.]

Ah, we drove everyone crazy. I took him out to a pond to teach him how to catch fish and he wouldn't stop talking. Imagine trying to catch a fish while scaring them all away! [Despite the brief pause, his eyes dance with amusement and fondness.]

Gusu—that's where we studied—was so strict. They had over 3000 rules, can you believe it? But I miss it. I miss those days a lot.

They sound like fun.

〈 gusu—where lan xichen and his brother, the beautiful, righteous and perfect lan wangji, are from. where wei wuxian and his brother studied.

another day she would have let her curiosity carry her: huaisang told me a little of your brother. the truth. she has a name and that he was later leader of his sect. little else.

but wei wuxian is avoiding the subject. and holding the books that once belonged to peter in her lap, gwen can guess at the reasons why. she gently strokes the books' spine. physics for scientists and engineers. campbell biology. chemistry: the central science. if she flips any cover over, she will find peter's name in his chicken scratch scrawl. a lump comes to her throat.

turns out wei wuxian is not alone in missing the simplicity of school days. 〉

They were. [He says, soft and nostalgic. There's a beat of silence and then he sighs, grinning.]

Alright, I'm going to start reading. Can't let Itachi get ahead of me, can I? [He winks like the unsuspecting fool he is.]

Yeah, good luck with that. 〈 picking up what books wei wuxian has not laid claim to yet, gwen starts for the door. 〉 I'll be right back.

〈 when she returns, she could give wei wuxian a heads-up re: the itachi of it all. but he's not even blinking as he reads and, ultimately, she decides it will be funnier when itachi comes for the rest of the books in, checks watch, 58 minutes. 〉

（ he absolutely fucking does, thank u. ）

[HE GETS NO RESPECT!!! NONE!]

Inbox: Ximilia

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